Coaching Cycle Shows Why Liam Coen's Role Is So Critical to Jaguars' Success

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The NFL coaching cycle has been as eyebrow-raising and unpredictable as ever in 2026.

With 10 teams opening up vacancies at head coach this offseason, we still have yet to see every role filled. And in the course of each team finding its new head coach, the value that Liam Coen brings to the Jacksonville Jaguars has become clearer than ever.

Coen's Value

Looking up and down the coaching hires this cycle, and it is clear the Jaguars have an advantage with Coen as their primary play-caller. A number of hires that have been made to this point in this year's cycle, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy and the Buffalo Bills hiring Joe Brady as their head coach.

And while more hires than not this year have been to defensive coaches or non-play callers, the absolute whirlwind that has been the offensive coordinator position in football over the years has shown how critical Coen and his play-calling is.

liam coe — Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Liam Coen runs off the field before an NFL football AFC Wild Card playoff matchup, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Jacksonville, Fla. Bills lead 10-7 at the half over the Jaguars. [Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union] | Doug Engle/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Look at teams like the Tennessee Titans with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and even the Baltimore Ravens with new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle. If either Daboll or Doyle put together strong offenses, then Robert Saleh and Jesse Minter will be looking for new play-callers for their quarterbacks a year from now.

In most cases, offensive coordinators on winning and successful teams are prime targets to be sniped in each coaching cycle. That is why some of the most sustained success in the NFL in recent years has come from teams whose head coaches call plays, such as the Los Angeles Rams with Sean McVay, the San Francisco 49ers with Kyle Shanahan, the Kansas City Chiefs with Andy Reid, the Green Bay Packers with Matt LaFleur, and so forth.

andy rei — Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid walks in the tunnel before an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Monday, Oct. 6, 2025, in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jacksonville Jaguars edged the Kansas City Chiefs 31-28. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

And just consider the Jaguars with Grant Udinski. Had Udinski been the Jaguars' offensive play-caller, his courting by the Bills and the Cleveland Browns would have been even more anxiety-raising than it already was for Coen and the Jaguars. Udinski is a valuable piece to the Jaguars' process, but he would have been even more valuable had he been the one calling the plays.

But with Coen as the play-caller, the Jaguars never have to worry. No more worrying about the next team nabbing their star play-caller, no more worrying about Trevor Lawrence having to learn a new system. Those are all issues of the past, and it is thanks to what Coen does as a play-caller.

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